


Birthday

by WhirlwindWolf94



Series: Rise of the Guardians [4]
Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Rise of the Guardians - Freeform, jack's birthday
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-03
Updated: 2019-03-03
Packaged: 2019-11-08 12:05:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17981000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhirlwindWolf94/pseuds/WhirlwindWolf94
Summary: It's Jack's Birthday! He doesn't celebrate, but the others might change his mind.





	1. Chapter 1

_Bunnymund_

 

_Jack's actin' pretty strange._

 

The same thought ran through my mind all day as I watched the winter spirit shuffle around, making random frost patterns on the ground. This _was_ strange, it was the middle of December and he should've been rather bubbly like he always was. It hadn't been quite cold enough for Jack to visit Jamie, Mother Nature must be going through hot flashes, so maybe that's why he was so down? No, couldn't be. He had a ton of other places to freeze. Yet he was just moping around my warren today (yes, I let him stay with me, I felt sorry for him being alone on that lake of his). I had to figure out what was wrong.

 

"Oy, Frostbite, c'mere." I called, beckoning with a paw.

 

"'S'up?" Jack asked when he got close.

 

"Alright, Snowflake, what's eatin' ya?"

 

"Hm? Oh, nothing' really. Just don't feel like doing anything today." Jack didn't meet my gaze.

 

"Why?" I persisted, putting a paw on his shoulder when he turned to go.

 

"No reas-"

 

"Don't give me that malarkey, Frostbite. What's up?" I interrupted, my paws akimbo.

 

"Alright! Jeez. I'm just feeling old, that's all." Jack shrugged.

 

"Heh?" Oh god. That sounded like a dying goose.

 

"My birthday's tomorrow. 320. Joy." Jack rolled his eyes.

 

"Wait, you were born in Christmas Day?!" Oh yeah, did I mention it was Christmas Eve? Thought I did.

 

"Yeah, so?"

 

"Jack! You've been with us for _two years_ and y'never told us when your birthday was?!" I was flabbergasted.

 

"Yeah, s-"

 

"If you say 'yeah, so' again, I'm gonna 'yeah, so' you. Why didn't y'tell us?"

 

"Well, Tooth's busy all the time, Sandy needs to work all night, you wouldn't care, and Christmas is North's day." That was rather matter-of-fact.

 

"Alright, Tooth has her mini-fairies to help her, Sandy _can_ work from a distance, North's day is Christmas _Eve,_ and _whaddaya mean I wouldn't care?!"_

 

"Well, I know you don't exactly like me, Bunny." Jack looked down again.

 

"Jack, of course I like you. I love you, little brother, because that's just what you are. Those little fights, I know they're just for fun." I was at eye-level with him now to make sure he got the message. Apparently, he did.

 

"Thanks, Bunny. I keep forgetting I'm part of a family now. But I still don't want everyone to make a fuss over my birthday."

 

With a sigh, I nodded and let him go on his way. Looking sadly at his retreating back, I couldn't help feeling bad for Jack. Alone for three-hundred years with no memory of his former life. It _had_ to be rough. I couldn't imagine it. At least _I_ had my eggs for company, Jack had had nobody. Well, he has someone now. Four someone's to be exact.

 

With a resolute nod, I opened a portal and jumped through. I knew I was crazy for bothering him _now,_ but I had to talk with everyone. Since our battle with Pitch two years ago, we've been closer than ever. Everyone helped me and North on our holidays and we all helped Tooth organize the teeth she and her fairies collect. Sandy rarely needs _help,_ but we take turns leaving him snacks for when he gets off-duty. So I knew that Tooth and Sandy were helping North with last-minute preparations at the Pole. When I popped up in front of the globe, I saw that I was right. I could see Tooth, zipping around with toys in her arms to be wrapped, and Sandy, towing a bunch of already-wrapped toys in a dump-truck made of his sand.

 

With another nod, I gathered a few rolls of wrapping paper and went to the wrapping station. Tooth and Sandy noticed me and waved. I tilted my head, beckoning them to follow, and sat down next to North at the huge desk. I waited for the others to get there, already wrapping some kind of new-fangled squirt gun. Once everyone was gathered, I spoke (never lost a step with the wrapping, of course).

 

"Y'know, I just found something out about Jack." I said, passing along a rather fancy-looking spinning-top.

 

"Really? What?" Tooth asked, setting a stuffed rabbit on the table. I left that one to North.

 

"His birthday's tomorrow." I said, wrapping a sinister-looking knife addressed to a girl with a season for a name.

 

"What?!" North exclaimed, nearly dropping an expensive-looking electronic device.

 

"Yep. He just told me. That's why I'm here." I said, passing along a wrapped hair-dryer to Sandy's dump-truck.

 

"Oh, how exciting! What kind of party does he want?" Tooth asked, giving me a demented-looking puppet to wrap.

 

"That's the thing. He _doesn't_ want one. Thinks we're all too busy." I replied, wrapping up some kind of dino-egg. Sandy's sand made a "?!" sign.

 

"What?! Why would he think that?" North asked, passing Sandy a wrapped box of balloons.

 

"Dunno. All he said was that he didn't want anyone to make a fuss." I said with a smirk, wrapping a brick (gag gift, don't ask).

 

"But _you_ do, don't you?" Tooth asked, placing a stuffed greyhound on the table. Again, I left that one to North.

 

"Exactly. North, you only work on Christmas Eve, you rest on Christmas Day, right?" I passed along a strange-but-cute-looking stuffed white kitty with overalls, a red bow, and no mouth addressed to a girl with a month for a last name.

 

"Da, I rest tomorrow. What's your plan, Bunnymund?" North asked, passing along a video game of some sort and looking eager.

 

"A surprise party here. A red velvet cake with those number candles. 3-2-0. Maybe snowflakes everywhere, all different colors. I'll make his favorite dinner, as long as you all don't mind stew beef with carrots and potatoes." I added, wrapping an _edged boomerang_ for that same girl with the season name.

 

"Oh, don't _describe_ the food, Bunny! You're making me hungry!" Tooth said, shoving a fluffy pink stuffed bunny at me.

 

"Sounds great, Bunny! And it turns out that Jack made the Nice List this year!" North said, trying to wrap a ball but ending up just putting a bow on it.

 

"That's wonderful! He'll _really_ like that." Tooth said, sitting the _last_ toy in the table and plopping down into a seat.

 

"Sure will, I just have one thing to clear with you all before we start everything." I said, wrapping the last toy and sending it off. Sandy's sand made a question mark.

 

"Yes, what is it?" North asked, sitting back a second.

 

"I want Jamie to be here for it." I said before I lost my nerve. "Jack hasn't seen him all year."

 

"Oh, Bunny, you know that's not-" Tooth started, but North cut her off.

 

"Of course Jamie can come!" The man said, a wide smile splitting his face.

 

"North, I thought-" Tooth began again.

 

"Toothiana, Jamie was the vital key for defeating Pitch. He is twelve years old and he _still_ believes in us. He was the _first_ to see Jack and is his best friend. It would be a huge insult if he wasn't here for Jack's birthday." North said, standing up and getting ready for his journey. Sandy nodded vigorously and gave his double thumbs-up.

 

So it was settled. Tooth, Sandy, and I would decorate the Pole for the party while North was doing his job and in the morning, I would go and fetch Jamie. Once North took off, the rest of us started with the decorations. I was given the task of making the colored snowflakes and Sandy dusted them with his sand to make them sparkle. Tooth hung the decorations and set a designated "party table" for the cake and roast. I got the roast and veggies into a slow-cooker and turned the thing on low to slow-cook 'till morning. Once everything was set, I had one more thing to do. I opened a tunnel and jumped through to Burgess. To Jamie's home.

 

I found the boy outside in his back yard, apparently making sure that little beast emptied the tank before letting it back in the house. Once it was done, Jamie shooed it off into the house while he cleaned up. That was when I broke cover.

 

"Oy, Jamie." I called, startling the kid.

 

"Huh? Bunny?! Hey! What're you doing here?" He asked, giving me a hug which made me smile.

 

"I'm here to invite you to a party at the North Pole." I said, kneeling down to eye-level.

 

"Really?! At the _North Pole?!_ Sure! I mean, yeah, 'course I'll come! When is it?"

 

"Tomorrow. Just after noon. Your family doesn't have a Christmas dinner, do they?"

 

"Nah, we did that tonight. Mom and dad are going to visit grandma in the hospital. She's fine! She's okay, just paranoid is all. I'm supposed to baby-sit Sophie. Can she come, too?"

 

"Sure! She's what, five now?"

 

"Yep. And she can actually say 'I love the Easter Bunny' instead of just 'Easter Bunny hop hop hop.'" He said with a smirk.

 

"Is that so? Well, be ready at noon."

 

"All-right! A Christmas Party at the North Pole! This is gonna be _awesome!"_

 

"Yeah, but it's not a Christmas party, mate."

 

"It's not?"

 

"Nope. It's a birthday party for Jack."

 

" _NO WAY!_ " Jamie whisper-shouted. Clever kid.

 

"Yep. And it'd mean the _world_ to 'im if you were there."

 

"Ch. Duh, I'll definitely be there now! I can't wait!"

 

"Good. Now, y'better get to bed so you can wake up early in the mornin'. North's not gonna come if you're still awake."

 

With a final laugh and a hug, Jamie scooted inside. I couldn't help but smile as I made my way home, Jack just didn't know how _loved_ he was. Well, hopefully we'll see it tomorrow. When I got back to the Warren, I found Jack asleep in a soft patch of grass in the training hall. The kid actually looked innocent when he was asleep. My face softened as I heard him sigh in his sleep and curl up a bit. I went over to him and patted his head, moving a bit of hair out of his face.

 

"Night, Snowflake. Sweet dreams." I said, planting a little peck on his head.

 

As if on cue, a cloud of dream sand appeared and dolphins started playing around in Jack's dreams. Smiling, I trodded off to my nest to get a good night's sleep before the excitement of next morning.


	2. Chapter 2

_Jack_

 

When I woke up on Christmas day, I was greeted by the smell of food. Good food. My mouth immediately started to water. Despite everything, Bunny could cook. I made my way to the kitchen and was immediately pulled into a huge bear-hug. Or would it be a bunny-hug?

 

"Woah! Bunny! Can't breathe!" I exclaimed, startled.

 

"Happy Christmas and a happy birthday to ya, Jackie-boy! I've got your favorite breakfast set out for ya." Bunny said, leading me to the table. I was dumbstruck.

 

But he wasn't lying. My favorite breakfast, banana pancakes with sausage and egg mixed together, was laid out on the table. With a smile, I thanked the big fluff ball and dug in. Then, Bunny surprised me again. He set down a glass of what I thought was iced chocolate. But when I took a sip, my eyes went wide.

 

"No way! You're letting me have iced coffee?!" I said, my smile growing so much it hurt my face.

 

"Yep. It's your birthday and you deserve a treat." He said, smirking and ruffling my hair.

 

I continued eating until I was about to burst. When I was done, Bunny cleared the table, brushing off my attempt to help. I was really touched by all this, I'm not gonna lie. Bunny told me to go play with the eggs, so I took off after the little buggers. They were _really_ lively today, even the sentinel eggs were "running" about. Then, Bunny joined the fun. He actually had fun without the help of one of my special snowballs. We were running around for hours before we collapsed onto the ground, panting and laughing. This was turning into the _best_ birthday ever.

 

Whoops. Jinxed it. As soon as I looked up at the sky, I saw the Aurora Borealis light up through the light blue. Groaning, I stood up with Bunny and he opened a tunnel. Was it just me, or was he smothering a smile? Anyway, we raced through the tunnel and came out….just _outside_ the workshop. Now I _know_ bunny can open tunnels inside, so _why_ were we outside?

 

"Bunny? Why--!" I jumped as Bunny tied a blindfold over my eyes.

 

"Hush, mate. And don't worry. We've got a surprise for ya. Trust me, Snowflake."

 

Honestly, how could I _not_ trust the Guardian of hope? I nodded and let him lead me, his paws on my shoulders. I still used my staff to prod for obstructions like tables, skateboards, upside-down floor mats, anything that'd cause pain to a blind person. I could tell we were headed to the globe by the crackle of the fireplace. But something was off.

 

"Alright, Jack, I'm gonna take this thing off your eyes. But keep 'em closed 'till I say to open 'em, 'kay?" Bunny said, untying the cloth. I nodded.

 

The blindfold was removed, but my eyes were still clamped shut. I heard Bunny hop over in front of me and I started to worry.

 

"Alright, mate, open 'em!" Bunny called.

 

When I opened my eyes, I heard an _extremely_ loud shout from everyone.

 

**_"SURPRISE!"_ **

 

I staggered back at the sight. The whole area in front of the fireplace was decked out in streamers and multi-colored paper snowflakes. There was a banner hanging form the ceiling with "Happy Birthday Jack" painted lovingly on it in an icy-blue. North was clapping and laughing. Tooth was fluttering around excitedly. Baby Tooth zipped over and snuggled into my neck. Bunny was smiling, his eyes bright. And Sandy was making dolphins "swim" everywhere as he floated over and placed a paper crown on my head.

 

"Wh-what's all this?" My voice was hardly a whisper. I was shocked.

 

"Oh, happy birthday, Jack!" Tooth said, zipping over and hugging me.

 

"Yes, is big day! Come here, Jack! Happy birthday!" North said, hugging me as well and giving me another one of those double-cheek kisses.

 

"But- but-" I couldn't speak.

 

"No buts, Jack. You're family now, so you're getting' a birthday party." Bunny said matter-of-factly. "And this isn't all, mate."

 

Then I noticed the curtain of dream sand in the corner. Tilting my head and cocking an eyebrow, I looked _very_ confused. Then, Sandy lifted the curtain and my heart nearly leaped out of my chest.

 

" **JAMIE!** " I cried as the kid ran over to me, laughing.

 

I snatched him up and swung him around in a hug. I couldn't help it, tears streaming down my face as I laughed, burying my face in my best friend's hair. He was laughing, too.

 

"Happy birthday, Jack!" Jamie cried, beaming brighter than a star.

 

"Me, too! Me, too! Hug me, too!" Came a voice from my left.

 

"Sophie! Hey there, sweetie!" I said, pulling her into a hug, too. Wow, she's grown!

 

"Jack! I lost a tooth!" Sophie said proudly, opening her mouth to let me see.

 

"Woah! Way to go, snaggle-tooth!" I said, ruffling her still-messy hair, "Jamie, what're you two doing here?" I asked, still smiling.

 

"Bunny came to me last night and invited me to your birthday party. He picked us up about an hour ago. Happy birthday!" He said again.

 

I looked at Bunny and smiled again, even bigger (so big it made Baby Tooth swoon, poor thing).

 

"Jack! Blow out your candles!" Sophie called from Bunny's side (where she had run after she got her hug).

 

Jamie nodded and led me over to the _huge_ three-tier cake with candles shaped like a 3, a 2, and a 0, Before I could blow them out, though, Tooth counted to three. I could swear my face was the _deepest_ blue with a frost it's ever been as _everyone_ (yetis and elves included) sang "Happy Birthday." When it was over, I blew the candles out and they all cheered. North took a knife, thankfully not a sword, and cut a slice from the top. No way. The cake was _red velvet._ My absolute, hands-down favorite cake flavor in the world! For the first time in my life (er, lives), I was allowed to eat dessert _before_ dinner.

 

But I was psyched for dinner, too. Bunny surprised me, yet again, with my favorite food. I say again, the bunny could _cook!_ How a rabbit knew how to cook a roast so tender, I'll never know, but it was _great!_ I even loved the veggies. They even had a piñata which Sophie annihilated at her turn. The girl could swing. We all had the _best_ time. I couldn't believe it.

 

The presents were last. I tried to refuse, but as always, they brushed my refusals off. North, along with the news that I was on the Nice List, gave me a dagger. Bunny's eyes were big as saucers when he saw it, but North explained that it was a tradition for a father to give his son a dagger on their twentieth birthday. That tugged at my heart strings. I already saw him as a father-figure and this cemented the feeling. It was a beautiful thing, too. Silver hilt and sheath and razor-sharp, it fit perfectly in the holster it came with. I immediately snapped it onto my belt.

 

Tooth was next. I expected a toothbrush or something like that. But I unwrapped a beautifully bound sketchbook with a full kit of drawing pencils. She said she noticed me idly doodling on napkins and decided to get me a "proper collection of canvases." Wow, I didn't even know anyone noticed that. To be honest, sketching _was_ a bit of a habit of mine. Before now, though, I was restricted to random doodles on scraps or napkins. I smiled and hugged her, my head already buzzing with ideas.

 

Sandy came third. It was an amethyst charm for my belt. I knew about amethyst. It helps you remember your dreams. Of course Sandy would know that I was having trouble with that. Maybe with this, I'd be able to recover more memories about my past life. I clipped the charm into my belt and hugged the Sandman. He patted my head and smiled brightly.

 

Sophie insisted on coming next. She handed me a rolled-up sheet of paper tied with a ribbon. I unrolled the thing to see a rather impressive picture of myself playing with a group of kids in the snow. I smiled and hugged her tightly. Then Jamie handed me a box. I opened it and there was a music box inside, hand-painted by him. I opened it and recognized the theme from _The Polar Express,_ "Believe." I pulled the boy in for another hug and a tiny noogie.

 

Bunny came last. He handed me a book with a very handsome leather binding. Etched in silver, the title "Lest We Forget" shone brightly. I opened the book and saw pictures of everyone. Eyes wide, I flipped through the pages. Pictures from different times told their stories ad I leafed through them. There were still _a lot_ of empty pages, but at the very back. There was a picture of all of us in front of the globe taken last year. The caption underneath was written in gorgeous script saying "Family is Forever." I looked at Bunny, but found I couldn't speak. He must've gotten the message because he gave me a one-armed hug and a noogie.

 

A small yawn from Sophie indicated the time. With last good-wishes and hugs all around, Bunny and I took Jamie and Sophie home. We tucked Sophie in first, each of us giving the little one a peck on the head. Then I got Jamie to bed. The kid was yawning up a storm by then, too. With a few final "happy birthdays," Jamie lied down and immediately fell fast asleep. After tucking him in, I pecked his head and headed outside with Bunny for a tunnel home. Home. Yeah, as long as I was with at least one member of my new family, I would be home no matter where I was.

 

When we got back, I was bushed. But I had enough energy for one more thing. I gave Bunnymund the biggest hug I could muster.

 

"Thanks, Kangaroo. Best-birthday--ever." I was just about to drop when I pulled away from the hug.

 

"No problem, mate. You're family, my little brother. Love ya, little bro. G'night." Bunny said, guiding me to my patch of soft grass and easing me down.

 

"Love you, too, big bro. 'Night."

 

Yep. Best birthday _ever._


End file.
